While in India the Supreme Court prohibits tourism linked to tigers, in Somiedo (Asturias), beyond table-top television documentaries, they are delighted that eco-travellers go to the habitats of the forty bears living in their municipality. Bioindicator icon, the bear has found its paradise in Somiedo. Extremely rich in terms of forest species; where his former enemy, man, is prohibited from stepping on 40% of Somedan territory. The entire municipality is declared a natural park.

Until mid-September there is an unusual proliferation of public and telescopes at the Príncipe viewpoint, located in the surroundings of the vaqueira village of La Peral. This is due to the high probability of spotting plantigrades when leaving the forest to feed on “escuernacabras”, a shrub that proliferates in steep scree areas. The contrast of the white limestone with the brownish tone of the skin facilitates perception from a distance of approximately one kilometer.

There are electric moments that are fixed in the memory with the precision of etching. How they handle branches, sometimes on two legs. Without rest, since its huge belly needs to devour thousands of sugary berries. It disappears, it reappears behind a bush; sniffs out danger, often near cows and chamois.

Supporters of this sustainability paradigm include the conservation NGO Fundación Oso Pardo (www.fundacionosopardo.org), whose interpretation center in Pola de Somiedo is a must-see.

Source: El País.